1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a document feeding mechanism and in particular to a mechanism which feeds documents at high speed with substantially constant space between documents of intermixed varying lengths.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many cases document feeding mechanisms provide a space between items which is dependent upon document length, and this space is usually more than that required for the feeding device mechanism to operate efficiently. Since space is wasted in the document path, these feeders are less efficient than ones which provide a constant spacing between items. Some prior art document feeders which provide constant spacing between items utilize complex switching of drive power between rollers. This complex arrangement is sensitive to inaccuracies in alignment and to fatigue resulting from continuous cycling. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a document feeding mechanism which utilizes a simplified and more reliable constant spacing arrangement.